| The Christian Life | January 1940 |
The Christian in 1940
WHILE the calendar date for the turn of the new year is an arbitrary one, nevertheless it affords the Christian an opportunity to reexamine his spiritual condition, and to resolve to increase his efforts to do the will of God in bringing every thought, word and deed into subjection to the knowledge of Christ. Periodical self-examination is essential to continued and healthy Christian growth and activity. We should never take for granted that we are doing the best we can, because, upon investigation, it is often found that there are ways and means of establishing more firmly our relationship with the Lord, through greater diligence in. doing His will.
It should be in an unselfish spirit of devotion and obedience to the will of God that we enter the new year; and with implicit confidence in the promised grace to help in time of need, that we undertake to meet its responsibilities. To be a Christian at all, means to be in partnership with God, being “workers together with Him.” (II Cor. 6:1) In many respects, however, it is a one-sided partnership. The project on which we work is God’s, not ours. The wisdom for carrying it out is His. The strength to perform is His. The merit that makes possible our share in the partnership is Christ’s. The only thing, in fact, that we are able to contribute to the arrangement is a willing heart, a spirit of full consecration to do the divine will—“My son, give me thine heart.” (Prov. 23:26) Surely then, it is only in the expectancy of divine grace to help that we may enter the year with confidence and fortitude, knowing that victory will be ours if we but keep our hearts fully surrendered to Him.
“WAIT ON THE LORD: BE OF GOOD COURAGE, AND HE SHALL STRENGTHEN THINE HEART: WAIT, I SAY, ON THE LORD.”—PSA. 27:14
What better advice could we have in entering the new year than these words of the prophet? We believe that many of the mistakes made by Christians are due to their failure to “wait on the Lord.” When we do fail to wait on the Lord it is soften because we are too confident of our own ability, our own judgment or wisdom. Sometimes, however, it may be due to a lack of patience, or perhaps of faith, or both. Losing sight of the Lord, we attempt to “steady the ark” with our own hands, only to find that any such attempt inevitably results disastrously.
The turn of the year serves to remind us of the important element of time in the outworking of God’s purpose in our lives, and in His plan for the blessing of the people generally. It is so easy to lose sight of this fact, and when we do that we are not likely to “wait on the Lord.” There may be blessings that we crave—blessings that the Lord is pleased for us to enjoy—yet in His wisdom He may withhold them for a time in order that we may learn the more fully to wait upon Him. Probably all of us without much difficulty are able to wait on the Lord for a little while; but, find ourselves, nevertheless, setting a time limit on how long we should wait, and then are disappointed when the Lord doesn’t arrange His time to suit the limit we have set. This should not be. Let us, rather, in the spirit of full consecration, enter the new year in the spirit expressed by the words of the prophet, “My times are in Thy hand.”—Psa. 31:15
And may we be of “good courage.” It requires courage to wait on the Lord. Indeed, it is often easier to go forward than it is to wait. But if we go forward without a signal from the Lord, we are sure to suffer loss, even though we may fancy we are gaining a victory simply because we are acting and not waiting. Human wisdom might reason that it is disastrous to wait and therefore to do nothing; and, perhaps, that would be true if our waiting were not on the Lord. But to wait on the Lord is action, because it is an act of obedience that requires much faith and courage. To see blessings slip away, or fail to materialize; to note what appears to be disastrous circumstances developing which threaten the well-being of the church, or of ourselves as individuals; to see things to be done that are being left undone; and yet stand by patiently waiting until the Lord gives us a definite clue through His Word that He wants us to do something about it, requires true Christian fortitude and courage
And true Christian courage is not that spirit of bravado so often born of too much confidence in the flesh; rather, it is a fortitude that comes of faith—faith in the fact that God is for us, and will strengthen us and care for us in every time of need. And we can well be courageous when we know that God is for us, for it means that the strength of the Eternal One is vouchsafed us and is a guarantee of our protection and ultimate victory. We may feel weak, very weak, in our own strength; yet, through the exercise of a living faith, we may be “strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.”—Eph. 6:10
And faith has a firm foundation upon which to build an expectancy of divine help when we meet the conditions laid down in His Word; for when, through faith, we courageously wait on the Lord, the promise is that “He shall strengthen thine heart.” Herein is the secret for certain victory in 1940—certain because the strength comes from God, who is Almighty and who never fails. Strengthened by the might of God we need not fear because of our own weakness; although there would be cause for fear if we should fail to recognize our weakness. Upon the basis of faith, and by courageously waiting on the Lord, His strength is made perfect through our weakness; and when strengthened by the power of God, we can, with safety and enthusiasm, go forth in active service for Him.
“HIS WORD WAS IN MINE HEART AS A BURNING FIRE SHUT UP IN MY BONES, AND I WAS WEARY WITH FORBEARING, AND I COULD NOT STAY.”—JER. 20:9
There can be a “waiting” that is not “on the Lord.” We may have the definite command of God to go forward, yet for some selfish reason hold back, and possibly in so doing even deceive ourselves into thinking that we are waiting on the Lord. Jeremiah was given a commission from the Lord to speak in His name. Being a commission from the Lord the prophet evidently thought that His message would surely be accepted by the people. Instead of this, it was rejected, and derision was heaped upon the one who proclaimed it.
Because of this unexpected turn of events the prophet felt that he had been deceived by the Lord; consequently, he decided that he would no longer speak in His name, so he ceased from being active in the ministry given to him. Yes, he “waited,” but not on the Lord. His holding back was due to the persecution that resulted from his activity. How easy it is to decide important matters of this kind upon the basis of our own limited knowledge and experience, and under the influences of our own personal preferences! Rejection of the message of truth is often misinterpreted as evidence of the divine disapproval of its proclamation. Altogether too often our faith fails to rise above a failure to obtain results from our efforts; and human wisdom being substituted for the commands of God, we conclude that it is wrong to let our light shine out for the blessing of others.
There may be times when all of us fail to some extent along this line; but if our hearts are right—fully surrendered to the Lord—He will help us through these swamps of despondency and discouragement. His remedy will most likely be the Word of God itself, in which is outlined and revealed to us His glorious plan. It was this remedy that enabled Jeremiah to reverse his selfish decision not to speak any more in the Lord’s name; for he tells us that after reaching this conclusion he discovered that the Word of God was like fire shut up in his bones, and he became weary of his effort to withhold it and therefore to prevent it from accomplishing the intended purpose. From this standpoint many of us may have been Jeremiahs at one time or another; that is, for one selfish reason or another we may have concluded never again to be active in the Lord’s service of proclaiming the Gospel message of truth. But we found that after months, or in some cases perhaps years, we became weary of trying to keep silent about a message so glorious as is that of the Divine Plan of the Ages. That inspiring truth was as a fire shut up in our bones, and we couldn’t continue to keep still about it—we just had to tell it, even though it was rejected; and even though it cost us time and energy and means to tell it; yea, even though the telling of it resulted in our being bitterly persecuted by relatives or neighbors or friends.
As we enter 1940, therefore, let us not be confused in supposing that our possible “forbearing” to be active in the Lord’s service necessarily constitutes “waiting on the Lord.” In most instances it is likely to be a case of waiting on our own dear selves; waiting because it suits the flesh better to wait than it does to go forward. But if we have a proper appreciation of the message that the Lord has given us, and are fully and actively submissive to His will as outlined in His Word, our forbearing will soon become a wearisome matter to us, and we will find ourselves telling out the message regardless of what the cost may be.
Waiting on the Lord does not imply idleness, but it does imply a careful searching of His Word to ascertain the Divine Will for us. In that Word we will find the necessary instructions as to how to meet the daily problems and perplexities of the Christian life. In that Word also will be found the divine authorization, or commission, to preach the glad tidings to the meek, to bind up the broken-hearted, to comfort all who mourn with these glad tidings of coming Kingdom blessings. This commission embraces the work of the entire age, reaching down to its very close, even to the “day of vengeance of our God.”—Isa. 61:1-3
Once the implications of this divine commission are appreciated there is no necessity for hesitating in the matter of carrying it, out. We should then go forward, but still waiting on the. Lord to direct and to overrule with respect to opportunities and methods of serving Him and His people. Yes, active in His service, but trusting Him for strength and wisdom to serve aright. Realizing that our chief business is the divine service, and that the divine acceptableness of our service, depends upon His grace and His wisdom, to bless and’ guide us all along the way, let us, one and all, ever go onward and forward to the very end of the way.
What a blessed year 1940 will be if we enter it and go through it in a humble spirit of looking to the Lord for guidance and for strength; and at the same time filled with enthusiasm and zeal for the doing of His will. There is no danger that we may become over-zealous, if our zeal is directed in the right way and in the right channels. Paul speaks of the church as a people who are set apart unto the service of the Lord, and who are “zealous of good works.” (Titus 2:14) There is a zeal that is not of good works, because it is not according to knowledge. If we are faithful in waiting on the Lord, He will impart to us the knowledge of His will; and our zeal, consequently, will be a zeal for good works, because it will be a zeal for the works of God.
In this we have a wonderful example in Christ, our Head and Leader. It was prophetically spoken of Him that the zeal of the Lord’s house had eaten Him up. If our zeal, like His, is a zeal for the house of God, and for the good works outlined in the divine plan, we need not be concerned about being too zealous. Indeed, if our zeal is not a consuming one it will not be like that of the Master’s. St. Paul gives us a timely suggestion along this line when, in writing to the church at Rome he admonished the brethren to be
“NOT SLOTHFUL IN BUSINESS; FERVENT IN SPIRIT; SERVING THE LORD.”—ROM. 12:11
The chief business of the Christian is serving the Lord. Every other consideration in life becomes subservient to that of knowing and doing the divine will. Performing the divine will is the Christian’s real vocation; while the matter of securing a living is merely an avocation. Those who are “fervent in spirit, serving the Lord,” will not be satisfied merely to do the little things in the Lord’s service that may happen to come in their way, with the feeling that they have done their duty if they have not shirked their responsibility in connection with such matters. Rather, their zeal, their fervency, will manifest itself in a vigilant watching for additional opportunities; yea, in the making of opportunities, if possible, to say and do things which will glorify the Lord and bless those around them.
The fervency of first-love zeal is most acceptable and pleasing to God. Christ chided one of the seven churches of Revelation because they had lost their “first-love.” (Rev. 2:4) If we, to any extent, have lost our “first love,” may God grant that 1940 will see it restored, and through its restoration, find us zealous in the ministry of the truth and of the brethren, even as in the “former days.” In principle, it is always pleasing to the Lord to disseminate the truth for the edifying of the body of Christ as well as for witnessing to the world; and the Lord rejoices in our zeal for such work. Our “waiting” on the Lord has to do with time and circumstances for serving, Him, not to determine whether or not He wants us to serve.
We are to sacrifice ourselves in the Lord’s service; but we are not to sacrifice others. If circumstances are such that we cannot serve without neglecting those for whose care divine providence has made us responsible, then we are to “wait on the Lord,” meanwhile rejoicing in the thought that if we approach life’s experiences in this proper manner, all that we do will be accounted as done unto Him. After all, the Lord does not need our help; and the greatest result accruing from the little that any of us can do is the demonstration that we would do more if we could. So, while we gladly enter any doors of opportunity that are legitimately opened for us to serve, our proper waiting on the Lord will enable us to rejoice in Him despite the obstacles that may temporarily be in the way.
In the stress and strain of the everyday cares and responsibilities of life, it is easy for the Christian to partially lose sight of what his consecration vows really imply in terms of sacrifice to God, for the truth and for the brethren. How difficult for the Christian to keep the flesh subservient to the new mind as he walks in the narrow way of sacrifice.
With constant endeavor let us “walk … after the spirit,” as Jesus did. When the “heavens were opened” to Jesus, and through the revealing power of the spirit, His earthly course of sacrifice was made plain to Him, He pursued that course with unwavering fidelity and zeal, even to the point of indicating to Peter that the suggestion to take a course to avoid sacrifice, was of Satanic origin—“Get thee behind me, Satan.”—Rom. 8:1,4; Gal. 5:16; Matt. 3:16; 16:23
And when Jesus sent His disciples out into the ministry He made it plain to them that they were to walk in a way no less demanding in sacrifice of earthly interest than the way in which He walked. Of Himself Jesus said, that while “the foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, … the Son of man hath not where to lay His head.” (Matt. 8:20) This doesn’t mean, of course, that Jesus never slept with a roof over His head; but it does show clearly that He did not devote Himself to the acquiring of earthly treasures in order that He might make Himself “economically secure;” and, being alone, He did not need to consider others in matters of this kind. In principle, this is to be considered as the standard of the Christian, as indicated in Jesus’ instructions when He said to His disciples:
“TAKE THEREFORE NO THOUGHT FOR THE MORROW: FOR THE MORROW SHALL TAKE THOUGHT FOR THE THINGS OF ITSELF.”—MATT. 6:34
These instructions might well be applied to all of life’s circumstances, as the Christian will find that there is always “unfinished business” of one kind or another in connection with which he will need to leave tomorrow’s results in the hands of the Lord, while giving full attention to “seeking first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness.” (Matt. 6:33) In giving these instructions, however, Jesus seems to be referring specifically to the Christian’s material needs—“What shall we eat? … or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your Heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.”—Matt. 6:31,32
What a blessed assurance this is with which to begin the new year of 1940! It doesn’t mean that we should be slothful with respect to earthly needs, but it does mean that if we “seek first the Kingdom of God,” by giving proper attention to the Lord’s instructions covering every phase of life, we can be calm and content in the assurance that God will continue to care for us and bless us, and will shower upon us the abundance of His lovingkindness and tender mercy.
And how much we need the Lord’s blessing! How barren the Christian life if the smile of divine love were not plainly evident! As His disciples we will have trials and tribulations enough, day by day—not only during 1940, but until our time of trial is completed in faithful sacrifice unto death—and will need daily to lean upon the Bride-groom’s arm as we seek to walk the narrow way. But sufficient for each day will be its trials, and divine love will temper their severity to suit our ability to bear. And besides, His grace will help us, so that like the apostle, we can go forward in full assurance that we “can do all things [‘endure all things’—Diaglott] through Christ” who strengthened us.—Phil. 4:13
What a happy outlook, then, is ours. To the world, 1940 is dark and uncertain; but not to us as Christians. Because God is our everlasting portion, and has promised to strengthen the hearts of all who courageously wait patiently for Him while they devote themselves actively to do His will; therefore we know that, if we are faithful, the new year will be a glorious one for us. It will have its trials, which will be blessings; and it will have its blessings which will not be trials; but as faithful, watchful Christians, we will endeavor to see the hand of the Lord in everything, and will rejoice with joy unspeakable, as we give glory to, the God of our salvation.—I Peter 1:1-9